Party
by Velcrochick
Summary: AU. The invitation said "For accomplished trainers of the Johto and Kanto leagues." It's about time Lyra learned that not everything is as it seems.
1. Party

She really, _really_ didn't belong at this party. It was being thrown for accomplished trainers in the Johto and Kanto leagues, and even though Lyra had the eight badges of Johto and was preparing to battle against the Elite Four, she was feeling increasingly out of place.

The guy hosting it was the Viridian City gym leader, Giovanni. Lyra didn't know much about him besides the fact that he was obviously really rich and apparently liked to make things as fancy as possible. It was a good thing she had decided to leave her hat back home, because even with her rhinestone purse and favorite magenta and blue evening gown she felt severely under-dressed. She was only comforted by the fact that most of the other young trainers around her seemed to be feeling the same way.

If only Ethan had agreed to come. He had declined almost right away because, as he claimed, he was in no way interested in dressing up for some stupid party. If he was there things would be so much easier, and she wouldn't have to to laps around the room searching desperately for someone, _anyone_, that she knew.

On her third trip to the appetizer table, she saw a young man about her age leaning against the wall off on his own. His hair was very red and well groomed, and he was wearing a similarly colored red and navy blue suit. In his hand he held a glass of what looked like wine, which was odd. No way he could be _that_ much older than her... But now that she was looking she could see a bowl of wine red punch on the table right beside her.

After filling herself a glass, she watched him take small sips of his drink until someone behind her coughed softly. She turned to see him motioning at her to get out of the way, and with a sheepish smile she moved away so the man could access the food she had been unintentionally blocking.

Once she was clear of the table she stole a glance back at where the red headed boy had been standing, and was shocked to see that he was no longer there. Confused and maybe a little disappointed, Lyra looked down at her glass and took a small sip.

As she made to circle the room once again, she turned around and abruptly bumped into someone. Instantly she realized that taking some punch had been a bad idea, because it went cascading across the person and caused him to spill his own drink all down the front of his suit.

"I'm sorry!" she said swiftly, nearly gasping as she realized the person was in fact the red headed boy she had only just been watching. "I didn't even see you at all!"

The boy looked angry for a moment but appeared to rein himself in before saying, "It's...alright." He fussed with his jacket helplessly for a moment, sighed, and then said, "Look, you can barely even see it. I'll just go wash this stuff off and get-"

"Oh, do you know where the bathrooms are? I could help you look if you don't," Lyra offered earnestly, figuring she probably should help clean up the mess she had made. And the opportunity to talk to him a little bit more couldn't hurt either..

The boy raised his eyebrows and Lyra suddenly felt flustered, as if he had sensed what she was thinking. "I just mean that this is all my fault so I should probably try and help you out a little," she explained quickly.

Maybe it was just paranoia, but it looked to Lyra as if he wasn't wholly convinced. He didn't try to argue though, instead saying something completely unexpected. "I live here." He shrugged. "I'd like to think I know my way around. Now if you'll excuse me..." He began to walk away, but Lyra sensed an opportunity slipping through her fingers, so she followed slightly behind him.

"Do you?" she asked, and the boy looked over his shoulder at her with an unamused glare. "Live here, I mean!" she said, blushing at how stupid she must have sounded. The boy ignored her and continued walking, while she tried to think of reasons why he would be living here. "Are you Giovanni's...?" She let her question trail off, because truthfully she couldn't think who this boy could possibly be in relation to Giovanni. From what little she had seen in pictures and her small glimpses of the man during the party, he looked very little like the famous gym leader.

"Son. I'm his son," he said, a little sharply, and Lyra sensed that this was a bit of a touchy subject. Maybe nobody _ever_ saw the family resemblance... That or he was still annoyed about her earlier question. "Who are you?" he asked, an unsaid _and __what __are __you __doing __here_ present at the end of the question.

"Um, I'm Lyra. I guess I'm here because I have eight gym badges, and I'm going to challenge the Elite Four. That's what this party is for, right?"

He hesitated a moment while navigating through the crowds before saying, "Yeah right. My name's Silver. It's.. nice to meet you." Lyra narrowed her eyes but decided not to spend too much time trying to figure out how much of that was sarcasm and what portion was outright lie.

"Yeah you too!" she said as genuinely as possible. "So obviously you're here because you're Giovanni's son, but do you have any badges?" Lyra asked, suddenly feeling much more relaxed now that she hadn't been _entirely_ rejected and was talking to someone who clearly belonged here and wasn't frightfully stuck up looking... Even if he was probably only trying to be polite.

As they pushed through the last of the people filling the room and Silver led the way over to a nearby hallway he said, "No. I wasn't ever really interested in becoming a Pokemon Master or anything like that. I guess that's because my father is a gym leader. But I do have six Pokemon, and I like to battle sometimes."

"Oh really? You and I should battle then!" Lyra offered enthusiastically.

He looked over his shoulder at her and laughed slightly. "I don't think so. I don't like to lose very much."

"Who does?" Lyra asked rhetorically, as they finally arrived at what was apparently the correct door. Silver opened it up and Lyra thought she heard a small sigh as he held it out for her to go inside.

It was a pretty spectacular looking bathroom, with nice a nice paint job and shiny tiles, but there wasn't much in it aside from a sink, toilet, and an old but nonetheless expensive looking fainting couch. Why anyone would want to lounge in a bathroom was beyond Lyra, but maybe it was a rich person thing. Silver obviously wasn't phased by it.

They entered together and Silver moved over to the sink, picking a facecloth up off a rack and soaking it slightly with water. He began to dab at the small spots on his jacket, instead of rubbing it like Ethan or any other boy she knew would have done. Someone had clearly told him the right way to get out a stain. Then again, maybe he was just smart. Lyra was under the impression that rich people didn't really do much of their own cleaning.

"So," she said conversationally. "How did you get your first Pokemon? Did your dad give it to you?"

Silver froze for a moment but continued to dab at the stain only a few seconds later. "No. I... Got it on my own," he answered vaguely.

"My first was a Chikorita. He's a Meganium now... Would you like to meet him?" Lyra asked, excited by the idea and already reaching into her purse.

Silver frowned as she pulled out the Pokeball and turned away from her slightly. "I've seen Meganium before," he said, voice suddenly a little cold sounding.

"Okay. I'm sorry, I just thought..." She didn't really know what she had been thinking. Of course he'd seen Meganium before. Why should he care about hers? She put the Pokeball away, but Silver was still frowning so she asked, "Is everything all right?"

He tossed the towel, now stained a light pink, into the sink. It seemed to Lyra that he had just become very tired. "Sorry. You can let your Meganium out if you'd like," he offered, sounding fairly sincere compared to the rest of what Lyra had heard from him before.

Lyra wasn't quite sure what had changed his mind, and he hadn't really answered her question, but she figured she might as well do it. Meganium always made her happy anyway, so maybe he would have the same effect on Silver.

"Meganium, let's go!" she shouted out of habit, grabbing the Pokeball again and throwing it up into the air. Meganium appeared in a flash of light, then crooned happily. Lyra deftly caught the Pokeball again as it fell down, which clearly attracted Silver's attention although he tried not to show it by turning away to her Pokemon.

Meganium looked around the room and then focused his attention on Silver, stepping closer to get a better look at him. The Pokemon sniffed loudly and Silver stumbled back in shock. Lyra giggled slightly as Silver backed farther away, a tinge of red coloring his cheeks.

"This just proves I would never win against you!" he said, trying for a recovery but only making Lyra giggle more instead.

"Why," she teased, "'cause you're scared of my Pokemon?"

"No!" He blushed again, clearly caught off guard, and clenched his hands into fists. "My starter is a water type, that's why!"

"Su-ure." Lyra laughed again at his discomfort and decided she liked him when he was flustered. It was... cute.

There was a loud crashing sound like shattering glass, and then the sound of yelling reached Lyra's ears. She looked in shock to Silver, who looked almost uncomfortable; not the reaction she had been expecting to see and certainly not the way she was feeling at the moment.

"You hear that right?" Lyra asked, unsure of what was going on. Why were people yelling?

"...Yes."

"I don't understand. What's wrong? What's going on out there?" Lyra asked, becoming increasingly frightened by the shouts and screams coming from the party attendees that hadn't been there only moments ago and certainly didn't belong there now.

"I... don't know." Silver looked down and sighed, then cut the air with his hand. "But it's safer in here. Just stay quiet."

Lyra didn't pretend to understand what was going on with him, because he had ceased to make any sense. She shook her head defiantly and her hands balled into fists. "People could be getting hurt!"

"Do you want to be one of them?" Silver challenged, stepping closer to her.

"No.. but I can help!" Lyra said, ignoring the slight threat present in Silver's question. She impulsively rushed over to the door, but before grabbing the handle Silver moved in front of the door and shoved her back into Meganium.

Lyra clenched her fists and strengthened her resolve. She _was_ going to help those people. It had been pure instinct before to want to try and help, but now she knew it was simply the right thing to do. "If you don't tell me what's going on or get out of my way, I swear I'll... I'll.. I'll get Meganium to Body Slam you!" After she said it she didn't know how true it was, considering the fact that Body Slam really _hurt_and she didn't actually want to do that to Silver, but the threat stood all the same and Silver reached under his shirt for his belt, which Lyra was just noticing had six Pokeballs attached.

Fine. If he wanted a battle, he would get a battle! Meganium was more than ready and-

then Silver dropped his hand. "Alright," he said, looking angry. "You really want to know what's going on?"

Lyra nodded, pigtails bobbing furiously.

With gritted teeth Silver said, "This whole party was a setup by my father. The point was to get as many good trainers with strong Pokemon together as possible so that they would be easy to steal from."

There was a moment of silence between them and then Lyra shook her head as if to clear it. "...What?" she asked in disbelief, the words not coming together in her head to form sentences that would make any sort of sense.

"It's the truth, alright? My father is the leader of Team Rocket. I'm sure you've heard of them before!"

Team Rocket? _Everyone_ knew who they were. They were only the most notorious Pokemon thieves in all of Kanto and Johto... So how in the world...?

"But he's a gym leader!" Lyra protested as soon as the thought occurred to her. No way anyone who was a gym leader in the Pokemon League would be involved with a criminal organization like that!

Silver scoffed, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. You think anyone involved with the Pokemon League knows about this? Even if they did he could bribe them or deal with them some other way. I doubt even the grunts pulling off this job know he's their boss! Only the highest level executives know his identity. And mine."

Lyra struggled for words, completely at a loss for what to say. How was she supposed to be taking this? Hearing that an official gym leader and all around famous guy was also the leader of the largest gang of Pokemon thieves in possibly the whole world... It was unbelievable! She spluttered for a moment while trying to form a coherent sentence, and finally shouted, "And you knew the whole time?"

He gave her a pitying look. "Yes. Of course I did! And believe it or not I was actually very grateful that you bumped into me back there. I needed some sort of excuse to leave. My father isn't carrying any Pokemon so they can't take his, but I was supposed to go along with it and let them take mine. The plan was that I would get them back after, but my father doesn't really care. He even told me he could get me others if mine were misplaced."

Lyra seethed at both the look and the implication that he had used her as some stupid excuse. Of course she would be devastated if her own Pokemon were so callously replaced, but he didn't have to be such a complete and utter _jerk_about the entire situation. Not to mention all those trainers who had worked so hard to train their Pokemon and win all their badges were now losing not only everything that they had worked for, but also their best friends!

"I can't believe you!" she shouted, "I don't care what you say, I'm going to help those people! I would be out there too right now if you hadn't _deigned_to use me as a way out of this mess! It isn't right!"

Silver tried to grab her again as she reached for the door, but Meganium growled and stepped into his way. He tried to push past again as Lyra turned the handle, but Meganium reared back onto his hind legs and Silver swiftly backed away.

The two of them left the room hurriedly, Lyra leading the way back down the hallway to where people continued to fight for their Pokemon. Behind her she heard Silver say something that sounded like an apology, but she didn't particularly care to hear it, and when he didn't join them she continued running at full speed.

Once they were back in the ballroom that had previously been peaceful and boring, all Lyra could see was disaster. Sharp looking men and women wearing black outfits emblazoned with bright red Rs were holding bags full of Pokeballs and fighting with the people who had managed to release their Pokemon before they were stolen. Stray attacks shot out from all directions, and Lyra didn't quite know where to start.

That is, until she felt someone grab her purse and her first instinct was to shout, "Meganium, Magical Leaf!" The petals on Meganium's neck began to glow brightly, and then little leaves shot out, giving the woman small cuts on her face.

"You little bitch!" the grunt shouted, letting go of Lyra's purse. In her other hand she had a clear bag that contained at least twenty Pokeballs, and Lyra directed Meganium at it with another Magical Leaf. The bag didn't tear like she expected it to, and the woman laughed. "You think we'd use cheap plastic that weak Pokemon like yours could just tear through? HAH! Venomoth, Bug Buzz!"

The moth Pokemon descended from the sky on her orders and the blast of sound from its wings hit Meganium full force, sending him down. He bleated sadly and struggled to stand back up.

"No!" Lyra shouted. "Synthesis!" she barked, but the Venomoth was faster and its trainer instructed it to use a second Bug Buzz.

Lyra braced herself for Meganium's imminent fainting, but suddenly a bright beam of blues and yellows shot at the Venomoth, knocking it down out of the sky. Meganium's leaves glowed with bright yellow light like the sun and he stood up, looking stronger and ready to fight again.

Expecting to see a random trainer as her rescuer, she was shocked and surprised by the sight of Silver standing behind a Kadabra who was obviously the source of the Psybeam. Behind him a Golbat fluttered in the air and there was a Sneasel clutching onto his shoulder.

"Silver?" she said, stunned, as the Rocket grunt recalled her Venomoth and began to run.

"Golbat, Confuse Ray!" he shouted, momentarily ignoring her. The greenish yellow ball of light hit the grunt straight on, and she stumbled slightly before falling into a dazed heap on the floor. Silver stormed over to her and snatched away the bag of Pokeballs.

"What made you come?" Lyra asked, still a little shocked by his presence.

"Team Rocket uses mostly poison Pokemon. When I realized you were going to fight them with a grass type I decided I should help you," he explained. It was logically sound, but Lyra didn't totally buy it. _Obviously _that wasn't the only reason behind his sudden change of heart, but she wasn't about to press him in the middle of a crisis. He _had_ pulled through, after all.

Around them the other fights were ending, with most of the Rockets having run for it after the trainers started to fight back. There were still some people with Pokemon at their sides, but majority were crying or looking devastated by the loss of their Pokemon.

"You're right, I think. Nobody deserves this," he said, surveying the damage.

"You _think__?_" Lyra hissed, but Silver obviously didn't noticed her renewed anger because he was suddenly frozen to the spot staring in horror at something behind Lyra. She was about three seconds away from slapping him across the face, but she couldn't help turning to see what was so horrific. Her stomach did somersaults and her breath caught in her throat upon seeing Giovanni pushing his way swiftly through the crowd in their direction.

"Here take this quick," Silver said, shoving the bag of Pokeballs at her. She was still angry with him, but she took it anyway out of fear for what Giovanni's reaction would be. Silver quickly recalled Kadabra and Golbat but left the Sneasel on his shoulder with it's claws digging slightly into his hair.

And then there he was, Giovanni himself. "Silver," the man said, and maybe it was because she knew the truth about him, but suddenly the expensive black suit looked imposing and scary instead of just fancy. Now all Lyra could see on his face was cruelty and evil. How had anyone ever been fooled before?

Giovanni's eyes narrowed at the bag of Pokeballs in Lyra's hand for a split second before he broke into a smile. "Wonderful! I'm sure some of these trainers will be very grateful that you recovered these. May I?" he asked, holding out a hand to take the bag. For a moment Lyra was afraid that he would just keep them and walk away, but at a severe glare from Silver she realized how stupid a thought that was and handed it over. Of course he wasn't just going to run away in front of all these people!

"Thank you very much," he said with a generous smile that would have been so convincing only a short while ago. "Everyone, may I have your attention? Some of the stolen Pokemon have been recovered, and if anyone else has done the same if you could bring them up here so we can possibly match these back up to their respective trainers, I'm sure some people would greatly appreciate it," Giovanni announced, turning to the crowd and holding up the bag for everyone to see.

As a few other trainers from around the room who weren't currently talking to a recently arrived police squad headed by an Officer Jenny came to Giovanni with their own bags and some scattered Pokeballs, Lyra moved over to Silver.

"You should go," he said, looking much the same as he had when Lyra had first seen him leaning against the wall at the beginning of the party. Calm, cool, and collected. Nothing like his flustered self after being sniffed by Meganium.

"No way! What am I supposed to do now that I know the truth?" she asked, while Sneasel blinked curiously at her, his claws still digging gently into Silver's hair.

Silver glared at her and hissed out, "Nothing! You can't do _anything__._ Don't you understand?" His voice dropped down to a whisper and he said, "If he finds out that you know-"

"I can't just let this happen over and over!" Lyra interrupted. "I know the dangers, but you and I can stop it!" she whispered back. Behind them Giovanni was releasing Pokemon one at a time so their owners could come up and claim them. Currently he had out a Flaaffy and a girl a few years older than Lyra was running up to claim it.

"No. Team Rocket is too big an organization. Two people can't take it on by themselves!"

"But you know things! You can help!"

Silver looked very cold for a moment, and his resemblance to Giovanni was suddenly very clear. It made Lyra want to take a step back, but the look passed and then he gently scratched Sneasel under the chin. He seemed deep in thought for a moment before saying, "There was a boy once, three years ago, who tried to stop my father and bring down Team Rocket."

This was news to Lyra. Team Rocket and their escapades weren't very high on the list of her things to know, but as far as she knew they were just always _there__, _lurking around in the dangerous parts of cities where you weren't supposed to go if you knew what was good for you. "What happened to him?"

"He succeeded. I don't know the entire story, but he must have done something right. Team Rocket fell apart, but my father's involvement was never discovered."

"I don't understand. If he stopped Team Rocket then...?"

"It was brought back. About a year ago, some executives revived it, and my father resumed his role as boss."

"But this boy... If I find him, do you think he would help us stop it again? For good?"

Silver shrugged, glancing back to his father. "Possibly. If you can find him. He was very famous here in Kanto, but I haven't heard anything about him in a long time. Maybe some of the gym leaders know where he is."

"Will you come with me? To look for him?"

"No. I can't. But if you're serious about this-" Lyra gave him a dark look "-which you obviously _are__, _then you're going to need my help. In which case I'll be your man on the inside. You do have a Pokegear don't you?"

"Of course!" Lyra said, and pulled the little device from her purse, handing it over to him as he took his own from his belt.

They traded numbers and Silver nodded in satisfaction. "I'll call you if anything big is about to happen."

"You can call other times too," Lyra said, blushing slightly after realizing how she must sound.

Silver either chose to ignore it or was entirely oblivious because he simply re-clipped his Pokegear without responding to her offer.

Meganium made a melancholy sound and Lyra realized that she was feeling much the same as her Pokemon at the thought of leaving Silver. She wanted to challenge the Elite Four and then take things from there, not go straight into a new quest here in Kanto. Especially not without her new found ally. But this Red boy... Would he even want to help her if she found him? She hoped so. He was apparently the only other one who knew the truth about Giovanni.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to need both of you to make a statement about what you witnessed here tonight," a young officer holding a pad of paper and a pen said, looking expectantly at the two of them.

Silver glared at him with what was probably a learned mistrust for police officers, and said, "Just a second, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," the officer said, smiling and nodding to him. He backed away slightly and Lyra realized that this was it.

"I guess this is goodbye," she said, smiling sadly.

"We'll keep in touch," Silver said, sounding unconcerned. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Lyra giggled slightly as Meganium leaned over and licked Sneasel on the face, then turned back to the officer so she could give her statement.

When she had finished she looked over her shoulder at Silver, now standing at his father's side, reuniting a gentleman with his Noctowl. Giovanni had one hand on his shoulder, and as Lyra watched she noticed that the hand never left, keeping Silver close by even as he tried to hand people back their Pokeballs.

Meganium made a troubled little sound, and Lyra patted his back reassuringly. "Don't worry Meganium. I'm going to find this Red kid and stop Team Rocket... For all of us." She then recalled the Pokemon and placed the ball in her purse.

First stop, home to New Bark Town to pack her things. Then, figuring it would be as good a place to start as any, Pewter City.

_Team __Rocket __here __I __come__._


	2. Afterparty

"Sir, the party was an unprecedented success. We have obtained many rare and strong Pokemon that will be the perfect selling items. Estimated profits are in the millions."

"Very good, Archer. I'm glad your idea has paid off so well. To so closely involve my personal life in the dealings of this organization naturally warranted a high payoff, and you have come through in a most unexpected manner. Well done." Giovanni spared a calculating smile in the direction of his Executive, who flashed a quick smirk of his own, and then turned to face the rest of the table. At his feet his Persian purred loudly enough to be heard throughout the room. "Ariana, Petrel, you both do a proper inventory of the captured Pokemon. I want accurate estimates on their market value. You may utilize as many grunts as you see fit. Proton, I am placing you in charge of recovering the captured grunts and dealing with them in any way you deem appropriate." Proton grinned coldly at this, and Giovanni indulged him with a small nod before looking down the table at the only person left unaddressed. The boy sitting directly across from him was younger than the rest of the assembled, and his eyes remained focused on the table beneath him even as the Boss stared him down. After a moment during which all heads turned towards the boy, Giovanni spoke again, his words clipped and direct. "Silver and I are due for a talk. The rest of you are excused."

The four Executives exchanged glances containing cool expressions and small smiles of satisfaction before standing and taking their leave, leaving Giovanni and Silver behind. In their absence the room seemed to settle and become deathly still, but Silver pretended not to notice the mood the Boss was in.

Giovanni stared down the length of the table removed his hand from Persian's head to put the tips of his fingers together. After a significant stretch of time he said, "Do you have any way of explaining yourself? Any way at all?" He paused and Silver continued to ignore him. There was another moment, and then his tone took a significant drop from false pleasantries into scathing venom. "I would so love to hear whatever _pathetic _excuses you can come up with."

Silver stayed quiet and continued to stare at the table. He had been anticipating this talk since the beginning of the meeting, and the right words had been clicking into place inside his head throughout. He drew in a deep breath through his nose in order to be more subtle about it, and then looked up to stare his father in the eye. "She was an excuse." It was exactly what his father had been expecting to hear, and Silver knew it is as soon as the words left his mouth. There was no point in giving up just yet though, so he continued with his carefully selected explanation. "I knew you wouldn't care if my Pokemon were lost, so I found someone and used her to get away. From what I saw her Pokemon were loyal, but weak. They were no great loss to you, or Team Rocket." He finished with a small exhalation but continued to watch his father instead of turning back to the table.

"Silver..." he said, in the condescending tone that many in his employ were used to hearing after being addressed in such a way. "We all make sacrifices for the good of the Team. You know what a risk this was for me. Imagine, if you will, what the consequences would be if something had gone wrong. Imagine if someone _knew_."

The words were barbed and struck Silver like one of the attacks the Rockets were best known for. He looked away, feeling as though his father could see directly through him.

There was a scraping sound, and after a few clicks of expensive shoes on polished floor a hand found its way to Silver's shoulder. "You do realize that if anyone was aware of our operation, you would be penalized as well. You don't get off scott free just for being my son. And I'm sure someone somewhere would be very interested in the location of your Sneasel, and, perhaps, Feraligatr... "

The insinuation made Silver even more tense than he had been, and he was sure his father could feel the tightening in his muscles. "You don't need to threaten me. I know the consequences," he said through gritted teeth.

"Then _why_ did you protect that girl and her Pokemon?" The hand on Silver's shoulder tightened to the point of pain, and then released with an angry jerk.

Silver remained looking down, and answered with anger to match his father's. "I was playing a _part!_ You are the one who is constantly stressing the importance of putting on facades. If I hadn't helped her, she would have wondered!"

"No. She would never have thought a thing. Because she is a stupid little girl who has lived her whole life ignorant of the world around her, and one day managed to get herself a Pokemon. A rare one at that." Giovanni paused, and Silver felt a deep rage at the judgement of Lyra. This, however, unlike his every previous action, seemed to go unnoticed by his father. The man was shaking his head, fists clenched slightly. With an air of finality he said, "Do not presume to know more than I do about this world and the people in it." A pause, and then his tone relaxed while his hands fell loosely by his sides. "I do trust you, Silver. You will make an exceptional Executive one day." The hand was placed down on Silver again, this time on the opposite shoulder so that Giovanni's arm was able to wrap around him.

Silver didn't answer, and Giovanni gave a small sigh before giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. He then returned to his chair and stood with his back to Silver. "You may go now," he said softly, reaching out a hand to pet his Persian once again.

The scraping of Silver's chair was unintentionally loud, and it caused Giovanni and Persian to turn their heads slightly in surprise. Then the moment passed, and Silver left the room without another word.

Outside stalking through the halls of the office building that served as the base for the more legitimate side of Giovanni's business (also conveniently the _secret_ base for top Team Rocket members) he felt the anger rising back up at the act his father was putting on. _A great executive._ Pretending to be _proud_ of him. The dramatic sighs and small hugs intended to make him feel loved. Silver hated it, clenched his fists at the thought of it and the ridiculousness of it all. How dare his father think he was stupid enough to be manipulated in such a way? He saw right through the act!

And fell for it every time.

He remembered faintly the time when his mother had still been alive. It was recalled with hidden smiles, though he could not remember many details. Mostly it was just the memory of how it felt to know he was loved. It was a feeling his father had been trying to recreate in order to gain his trust and keep him loyal. The only problem was that Silver knew better than to buy into it. No matter how badly Silver wished he could pretend his father's love was real, he dreaded the idea of giving him the satisfaction. His mother had been dead for too long. It had ruined anything he and his father had ever had, and yet... He _was_ the man's son.

In any case, he had gotten too close to the truth concerning Lyra. He would have to keep his communications with her to a minimum in order to lessen his suspicions. In fact, it would probably be for the best if he called her quickly and let her in on the situation.

Taking an elevator down to the ground floor, Silver exited the building past the line of hopeful trainers trying to get an appointment to challenge his father at the city's gym. A secretary took down their names and thumbed through her schedule, informing them of the dates and time slots that Giovanni was currently able to battle.

Once free of the building, Silver made his way into the bustling crowds of the city. He spent a moment getting lost in the busy streets, then slipped into a less crowded alley. Hopefully that had been enough to lose anyone his father might have had trail him, but as an added precaution he leaned casually against a building while subtly scanning the street for anyone watching him too closely.

The coast looked clear and Silver unclipped his PokeGear from his belt buckle, clicking through the contacts until he found Lyra's name. The sight of it made him pause for a moment and wonder. Did his father know Lyra's name? If he did and he saw this number it could be problematic. However, the more Silver thought about it the more it seemed as though her name was still a secret. He certainly hadn't mentioned it, and he didn't recall anyone using it at the party while Giovanni had been around.

Silver shrugged it off and decided that his father had better things to do than snoop through his phone, and, more worryingly, better ways of getting information. He pressed the Call button and after a couple of rings Lyra answered.

"Silver? I'm so glad you called! Okay, so I talked to the Pewter City gym leader and he told me that after Red became the champion, he totally disappeared off the face of the earth! Nobody's heard from him in so long that they had to appoint a new champion because he wasn't around to battle for the title!" She paused and Silver opened his mouth to speak only to be cutt off when her talking resumed a second later. "The good news is, Brock told me that Red is from Pallet Town! I'm flying out to Viridian City tomorrow morning. One trip through Viridian Forest was enough for me!"

_What?_ Lyra was going to be in the city tomorrow? Even if she was just passing through, the coincidence was too much. She hadn't even beaten the Elite Four yet, so there was no reason to be back in Kanto so soon after the party. Of all the stupid things-

"I was wondering if you wanted to... maybe... have lunch with me tomorrow?"

The question caught him off guard, and this time he nearly choked. She wanted to have _lunch _with him? Was she insane? Silver couldn't say no fast enough. "No. No, no, that is... That has got to be..." He drew in a deep breath that helped calm him down slightly. "Look, I called to say that you can't contact me. If something important is happening then I'll find a way to get in touch with you, but my father is suspicious of us and I don't want to be caught."

There was silence on Lyra's end, and when she spoke her voice sounded a little different. Maybe she was holding the PokeGear too far from her face? "I understand." There was a long moment where she didn't speak, but Silver could hear some soft sound coming from her end of the call. It sounded vaguely like someone crying, but that was silly. Was there something wrong with her PokeGear? "Call me... when you need to... Goodbye." With a click the call disconnected, and Silver frowned. Something was definitely wrong, because there had been that same sniffly sound between everything she said. It would probably be worth it to buy her a new device, but of course he _had_ just told her not to meet up with him, so that was out the window.

He put the PokeGear away and continued down the street, thinking. If his father was _truly _suspicious, then depending on how far his assumptions had taken him... Who was to say he would even let Silver know if something big was about to go down? If there was a chance that Silver could leak the information, Giovanni would not want to take it. Maybe he would even go so far as to give him false information as a test... The thought made him feel so utterly stupid. He was useless to Lyra if he couldn't even help her in the event that something dangerous was happening, and after what he had said to his father during their chat, well... It would be difficult to restore his trust enough to get back into his father's good books.

...Difficult, yes, but impossible? Silver know that his father was aware he had lied during their talk. What better way to gain trust was there than by telling the truth? Instantly Silver regretted even having the thought. The danger that would put Lyra in was exactly what he was trying to avoid by warning her of Team Rocket's plans. But... Then again... Isn't it better to _know _the danger you're up against, rather than stumble blindly in the darkness until danger catches up to you unawares? In the event that his father did accept his explanation, it would be easy to call Lyra and tell her to watch her back. She was strong enough to be ready to battle the Elite Four, a skill level far beyond those of the average Team Rocket grunts. Of course, Lyra was in danger either way. As it was, even though there wasn't any direct proof that she knew what she knew, Giovanni would still want to get rid of her. Nothing would change from Silver's revelation, aside from the added bonus of knowing any other plans his father might cook up.

Guilt receded to the edges of Silver's conscience. He would be able to keep Lyra safe, he was confident. This was for the best really. Slowly, a smirk began to creep its way across his face as he realized just how flawlessly he could pull this off. He knew just the right angle to play. If Giovanni wanted the stupidly loyal son, that's exactly what Silver would give him.

(-o-)

Inside the gym it was cool and dark, and Silver shivered slightly before wrapping his arms around himself. He took a seat in the stands and looked down into the arena, where his father was currently battling with a boy who looked as though he had just gotten his very first Pokemon, judging by the appearance of his Squirtle. The kid's only saving grace was that he had brought a water type to the battle, but Silver doubted such a low level Pokemon would even be able to take out one of this father's.

"Squirtle, use Bubblebeam!" the kid shouted, and his Squirtle ran forward, shooting a beam of bubbles at Giovanni's Rhydon. Of course his father had chosen to use his strongest Pokemon first. If the kid had any Pokemon besides the Squirtle, they would not make it past his Rhydon, which was likely the point. It was a strategy Giovanni employed in nine out of ten battles. Only trainers who looked formidable enough were given a break and treated to Rhydon at the very end.

The bubbles popped on the rough skin of the Pokemon, and Giovanni crossed his arms. "Rhydon. Scary Face," he commanded with a smirk. Rhydon dropped down onto all fours, opened his huge mouth, and let out a roar that Silver felt rumble though the entire gym.

The Squirtle scurried back in sheer terror, quivering pathetically. It was just the sort of unnecessary move that Giovanni was known for by those who had battled him. He could have finished the battle in one move, but that wouldn't have brought him the same amount of satisfaction. Silver's eyes narrowed in disgust. If it was possible to make an enemy squirm, that would be his obvious course of action. Silver knew that as well as anyone.

The Squirtle's trainer seemed terrified too, and his voice quavered as he said, "B-b-bubblebeam again!" His Pokemon stumbled forward but Giovanni shouted his own command.

"Earthquake, now!"

Rhydon reared up and, with the full force of his massive body, slammed back down onto the ground. The entire building trembled with the force of it, and rocks shot up from the area directly in front of Rhydon, headed straight for the Squirtle. Silver looked down at his hands for the few seconds it took to knock the Squirtle out.

"Squirtle is unable to battle. Giovanni wins!"

With a sigh the young trainer recalled his Pokemon, turned around, and nearly fled the building. Even given the circumstances, Silver found it hard to pity the kid. Challenge that idiot Brock with a newborn Squirtle, not the strongest gym leader in all of Kanto. Knowing the limits of your team was one of the most important aspects of Pokemon battles. If you went into the battle knowing you were out of your league, odds are it wouldn't end well at all. Still, Silver could easily remember when he had been younger and making those same mistakes. He had thought he would be able to take on anyone, but he had never been more wrong in his life...

Giovanni returned Rhydon to his PokeBall and polished it lightly on his suit jacket. "They never seem to learn, do they? One should think that fool Oak would warn them not to take on the Viridian Gym for their very first battle... Then again, perhaps he does. Young trainers never like to listen to their superiors." He looked up at Silver pointedly, tucking the PokeBall away into his jacket.

Silver bristled at that, but put it behind him. It was go time, now or never. Silver reminded himself of his plan, then stood and descended the stairs to the gym floor. Giovanni watched him closely and when Silver stepped onto the gym floor he said, "They always believe they know best, don't you agree?"

Silver glared at his father, angry at the fact that his father had seemingly read his mind yet again. For a moment the two stared one another down. Intentionally, Silver looked away first. It was stupid, but it still felt like his father had won on some level. With a deep breath, Silver said, "Father I... I've made a grave mistake."

"And what would that be?" Giovanni's tone was light and almost mocking, but his eyes were hard and dark as stone.

There was absolute silence in the moment before Silver answered, as if the room knew that after his next words there would be no turning back. "That girl at the party. I told her... everything." Again the silence was oppressive, until Giovanni's hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of Silver's hair. He gasped in shock and stumbled forward as his father pulled him to the back of his gym toward the rear exit and, undoubtedly, his car.

They burst through the back door and into the open air. Giovanni dragged him to the sleek black car and threw open the door to the back seat. Only then did he release his hold on Silver's hair. He did not say a word as he motioned for Silver to get inside, which Silver did willingly as fast as he could. The door slammed behind him and he winced at the resulting bang.

A split second later the driver's side door was swung open and Giovanni entered, bringing a rush of air with him. Silver rubbed his head and patted down his hair, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. The car started with a roar and they were soon screeching down the streets, most likely back to the office building and the most secure location Silver knew of to discuss the situation.

The ride dragged on and felt longer than it had ever been. Silver could feel the tension mounting, and before he could think better of it he said, "Father, I-"

His sentence was cut off by his father pulling sharply over onto the side of the road and slamming down on the breaks. Silver lurched forward in his seat and had to throw his hands up to brace himself and keep from falling over. Of course he had chosen the day he would set his father on a murderous rampage to not wear a seat belt. Silver was sure there would be tire marks on the road from their sudden stop.

When the car was no longer in motion, Giovanni whirled around and whipped out his arm again, this time grabbing him by the collar. "Not a _word_ until we get there." He spoke in a deadly whisper, and although Silver had told himself he was in control of the situation, he was rapidly beginning to feel as though there was no plan. At this rate there would be no acting involved whatsoever.

The car started up once again and Silver shrank back into his seat. The rest of the ride blurred by, and then there they were, with Giovanni leading him into the elevator and up to his office with one hand on his shoulder the whole way.

At the entrance to Giovanni's office there was a shout from down the hall, and together Giovanni and Silver turned to see Archer running at them holding a folder full of papers. "Giovanni, sir, here are the-"

"Not now," Giovanni growled, sliding open his office doors and shoving Silver inside. Archer stared after them, shocked expression morphing into intrigue. He was quickly cut off from any questioning, however, when the doors slid smoothly shut in his face.

Once securely in the office, Giovanni made his way over to his desk. The room was smaller than the one used for meetings (Team Rocket or otherwise) and when Giovanni sat down behind his desk it felt even more so. In the corner of the room, Persian raised himself from the plush cushion that was his bed and padded over to rest his head on Giovanni's lap.

There were no other chairs in the room, and so Silver was forced to stand and face his father.

"Tell me everything you said to her."

Silver looked up at his father from beneath the newly mussed up strands of hair that had fallen into his face. He tried to glare but the situation didn't call for it and he hung his head as he said, "I told her the party was a trap. That you're the boss of Team Rocket. I told her about...the boy who defeated you. She wanted to find him, and I said she should ask the other gym leaders. And... I told her I would call her were anything important about it happen."

Like a shark catching the scent of blood in the water, Giovanni's demeanor shifted slightly. His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward in a way that was most definitely predatory. Silver felt his heartbeat quicken, and paranoia made him panic slightly. It had been a gamble, letting Giovanni know that. Had he guessed Silver's true purpose in this confession? The man always seemed as though he knew everything, and Silver was sure Giovanni had seen right through him.

The need to explain himself and get his father to believe swamped him, and he scrambled for a lie that he knew should have been thought of beforehand. His father had always told him to keep his lies rooted in the truth, and suddenly he thought of how he had felt after his mother had died. He had known everything would be different, and the part that hurt the most was that life was going to move on no matter what he did. In a whisper, Silver said, "I don't want things to change."

Giovanni was motionless for a moment. Silver did his best to look heartbroken and regretful, but didn't dare to look his father in the eyes. It was only the bark of laughter that his father let out as he leaned back in his chair that let him know he had said the right thing. "You thought your actions through and realized what the implications were?" He laughed again, and Silver felt heat rush to his face. Despite the fact that it had been a lie, it still hurt to have his father see him as an idiot. "Silver, there is still much I have yet to teach you. It is my full intent that you one day become an Executive in Team Rocket and, should there ever come a time when I am unable, it's Boss. This entire organization... It was not created with the intent of amassing power. I was young, struggling, with a wife and a small boy. I'm sure you remember the story. As I recall your mother loved telling it."

Silver _did _remember. The story of a brave man who cared only for his family, who risked his very life to keep them safe and happy. When he was young his father had been a hero, and Silver worshipped the ground he walked on. How fragile that facade had been.

"I made this for _you. _So that one day you would have the luxury of being free from the worries of my own youth." He sighed dramatically, and his voice took a sudden turn into anger. "To carelessly throw away what I have worked so hard to accomplish these past sixteen years because you began to trust a pretty girl in a dress is an _outrage!_ A slap in the face to everything I have done for you, and, perhaps _worst_ of all," he paused, raising his chin and looking down his nose at Silver, "An insult to the work your mother died for."

Silver nearly bit his tongue trying to hold back his objections. That his father would try and pass her death off as anything but a complete disaster and the catalyst for the collapse in their relationship, not to mention the biggest mistake in his entire life... Silver tried not to picture what little he remembered of his mother and instead focused on his anger at Giovanni, finding it easier to not care when he did so.

The man lifted a hand to smooth back his hair and seemed to calm down as he did so. "Don't worry," he said, entirely business now that his point had been made. "Together you and I can set things right once again. You said the girl is looking for the boy who defeated me three years ago?" He scratched under Persian's chin and smiled slightly. "Tomorrow night I want you to give her a call. Tell her I have an attack planned on the Viridian City Pokemon Center for the next day around noon. Make sure she comes ready to battle."

This wasn't the outcome Silver had been expecting from this meeting. Putting Lyra intentionally into harm's way in order to could keep her safe didn't make any sense at all. The only logical answer to fix this mess that Silver could see would be to tell her what he had done and warn her beforehand that it was a trap. Of course-

"And Silver? I'd like to be there when you make the call. Until then, may I have your PokeGear?"

_Damn. _He hesitated a moment before handing over the device, which was enough to prompt an explanation from Giovanni.

"I trust you Silver, really I do. But your judgement leaves something to be desired. We wouldn't want you making another mistake like last week's, would we?" Silver shook his head no, and Giovanni nodded, patting Persian gently on the head. "Of course not. Now, you're free to go. Just make sure you're back here by seven o'clock tomorrow evening."

Silver nodded and turned away in an attempt to make a quick exit. He was halted, however, by an exclamation from his father.

"Oh! Wait one moment." Silver turned back to see Persian nearly smirking at him and Giovanni bearing a similar look. "There's just one more thing I would like you to do..."

Whatever it was, Silver didn't like the way his father sounded as though he was about to do something downright evil, and it took a moment before his brain would allow him to speak. With a sinking feeling that told him he was about to be farther in over his head than he had ever been, Silver asked, "And... what might that be?"


End file.
